diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b7d680d1c37..8b8d21c8389 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 * [ENHANCEMENT] Query Frontend/Querier: Added store gateway postings touched count and touched size in Querier stats and log in Query Frontend. #5892
 * [ENHANCEMENT] Query Frontend/Querier: Returns `warnings` on prometheus query responses. #5916
 * [ENHANCEMENT] Ingester: Allowing to configure `-blocks-storage.tsdb.head-compaction-interval` flag up to 30 min and add a jitter on the first head compaction. #5919
+* [ENHANCEMENT] Distributor: Added `max_inflight_push_requests` config to ingester client to protect distributor from OOMKilled. #5917
 * [CHANGE] Upgrade Dockerfile Node version from 14x to 18x. #5906
 
 ## 1.17.0 2024-04-30
diff --git a/docs/configuration/config-file-reference.md b/docs/configuration/config-file-reference.md
index 1ad826306eb..d4609077435 100644
--- a/docs/configuration/config-file-reference.md
+++ b/docs/configuration/config-file-reference.md
@@ -3026,6 +3026,11 @@ grpc_client_config:
   # Skip validating server certificate.
   # CLI flag: -ingester.client.tls-insecure-skip-verify
   [tls_insecure_skip_verify: <boolean> | default = false]
+
+# Max inflight push requests that this ingester client can handle. This limit is
+# per-ingester-client. Additional requests will be rejected. 0 = unlimited.
+# CLI flag: -ingester.client.max-inflight-push-requests
+[max_inflight_push_requests: <int> | default = 0]
 ```
 
 ### `limits_config`
diff --git a/pkg/ingester/client/client.go b/pkg/ingester/client/client.go
index e6c7e334e1b..7bb1a6a29ce 100644
--- a/pkg/ingester/client/client.go
+++ b/pkg/ingester/client/client.go
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/util/grpcclient"
 
 	"github.com/go-kit/log"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
+	"go.uber.org/atomic"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/health/grpc_health_v1"
 )
@@ -20,6 +22,19 @@ var ingesterClientRequestDuration = promauto.NewHistogramVec(prometheus.Histogra
 	Help:      "Time spent doing Ingester requests.",
 	Buckets:   prometheus.ExponentialBuckets(0.001, 4, 6),
 }, []string{"operation", "status_code"})
+var ingesterClientInflightPushRequests = promauto.NewGaugeVec(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+	Namespace: "cortex",
+	Name:      "ingester_client_inflight_push_requests",
+	Help:      "Number of Ingester client push requests.",
+}, []string{"ingester"})
+
+var errTooManyInflightPushRequests = errors.New("too many inflight push requests in ingester client")
+
+// ClosableClientConn is grpc.ClientConnInterface with Close function
+type ClosableClientConn interface {
+	grpc.ClientConnInterface
+	Close() error
+}
 
 // HealthAndIngesterClient is the union of IngesterClient and grpc_health_v1.HealthClient.
 type HealthAndIngesterClient interface {
@@ -32,16 +47,40 @@ type HealthAndIngesterClient interface {
 type closableHealthAndIngesterClient struct {
 	IngesterClient
 	grpc_health_v1.HealthClient
-	conn *grpc.ClientConn
+	conn                    ClosableClientConn
+	maxInflightPushRequests int64
+	inflightRequests        atomic.Int64
+	inflightPushRequests    prometheus.Gauge
 }
 
 func (c *closableHealthAndIngesterClient) PushPreAlloc(ctx context.Context, in *cortexpb.PreallocWriteRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error) {
-	out := new(cortexpb.WriteResponse)
-	err := c.conn.Invoke(ctx, "/cortex.Ingester/Push", in, out, opts...)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	return c.handlePushRequest(func() (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error) {
+		out := new(cortexpb.WriteResponse)
+		err := c.conn.Invoke(ctx, "/cortex.Ingester/Push", in, out, opts...)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return out, nil
+	})
+}
+
+func (c *closableHealthAndIngesterClient) Push(ctx context.Context, in *cortexpb.WriteRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error) {
+	return c.handlePushRequest(func() (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error) {
+		return c.IngesterClient.Push(ctx, in, opts...)
+	})
+}
+
+func (c *closableHealthAndIngesterClient) handlePushRequest(mainFunc func() (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error)) (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error) {
+	currentInflight := c.inflightRequests.Inc()
+	c.inflightPushRequests.Inc()
+	defer func() {
+		c.inflightPushRequests.Dec()
+		c.inflightRequests.Dec()
+	}()
+	if c.maxInflightPushRequests > 0 && currentInflight > c.maxInflightPushRequests {
+		return nil, errTooManyInflightPushRequests
 	}
-	return out, nil
+	return mainFunc()
 }
 
 // MakeIngesterClient makes a new IngesterClient
@@ -55,9 +94,11 @@ func MakeIngesterClient(addr string, cfg Config) (HealthAndIngesterClient, error
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return &closableHealthAndIngesterClient{
-		IngesterClient: NewIngesterClient(conn),
-		HealthClient:   grpc_health_v1.NewHealthClient(conn),
-		conn:           conn,
+		IngesterClient:          NewIngesterClient(conn),
+		HealthClient:            grpc_health_v1.NewHealthClient(conn),
+		conn:                    conn,
+		maxInflightPushRequests: cfg.MaxInflightPushRequests,
+		inflightPushRequests:    ingesterClientInflightPushRequests.WithLabelValues(addr),
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -67,12 +108,14 @@ func (c *closableHealthAndIngesterClient) Close() error {
 
 // Config is the configuration struct for the ingester client
 type Config struct {
-	GRPCClientConfig grpcclient.Config `yaml:"grpc_client_config"`
+	GRPCClientConfig        grpcclient.Config `yaml:"grpc_client_config"`
+	MaxInflightPushRequests int64             `yaml:"max_inflight_push_requests"`
 }
 
 // RegisterFlags registers configuration settings used by the ingester client config.
 func (cfg *Config) RegisterFlags(f *flag.FlagSet) {
 	cfg.GRPCClientConfig.RegisterFlagsWithPrefix("ingester.client", f)
+	f.Int64Var(&cfg.MaxInflightPushRequests, "ingester.client.max-inflight-push-requests", 0, "Max inflight push requests that this ingester client can handle. This limit is per-ingester-client. Additional requests will be rejected. 0 = unlimited.")
 }
 
 func (cfg *Config) Validate(log log.Logger) error {
diff --git a/pkg/ingester/client/client_test.go b/pkg/ingester/client/client_test.go
index 59fae123fa2..270db7d4588 100644
--- a/pkg/ingester/client/client_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ingester/client/client_test.go
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 
 	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/cortexpb"
 	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/util"
@@ -47,3 +50,83 @@ func TestMarshall(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(t, numSeries, len(req.Timeseries))
 	}
 }
+
+func TestClosableHealthAndIngesterClient_MaxInflightPushRequests(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	tests := map[string]struct {
+		inflightPushRequests    int64
+		maxInflightPushRequests int64
+		expectThrottle          bool
+	}{
+		"no limit": {
+			inflightPushRequests:    1000,
+			maxInflightPushRequests: 0,
+			expectThrottle:          false,
+		},
+		"inflight request is under limit": {
+			inflightPushRequests:    99,
+			maxInflightPushRequests: 100,
+			expectThrottle:          false,
+		},
+		"inflight request hits limit": {
+			inflightPushRequests:    100,
+			maxInflightPushRequests: 100,
+			expectThrottle:          true,
+		},
+	}
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	for testName, testData := range tests {
+		tData := testData
+		t.Run(testName, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			client1 := createTestIngesterClient(tData.maxInflightPushRequests, tData.inflightPushRequests)
+			_, err := client1.Push(ctx, nil)
+			if tData.expectThrottle {
+				assert.ErrorIs(t, err, errTooManyInflightPushRequests)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+			}
+
+			client2 := createTestIngesterClient(tData.maxInflightPushRequests, tData.inflightPushRequests)
+			_, err = client2.PushPreAlloc(ctx, nil)
+			if tData.expectThrottle {
+				assert.ErrorIs(t, err, errTooManyInflightPushRequests)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func createTestIngesterClient(maxInflightPushRequests int64, currentInflightRequests int64) *closableHealthAndIngesterClient {
+	client := &closableHealthAndIngesterClient{
+		IngesterClient:          &mockIngester{},
+		conn:                    &mockClientConn{},
+		maxInflightPushRequests: maxInflightPushRequests,
+		inflightPushRequests:    prometheus.NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{}),
+	}
+	client.inflightRequests.Add(currentInflightRequests)
+	return client
+}
+
+type mockIngester struct {
+	IngesterClient
+}
+
+func (m *mockIngester) Push(_ context.Context, _ *cortexpb.WriteRequest, _ ...grpc.CallOption) (*cortexpb.WriteResponse, error) {
+	return &cortexpb.WriteResponse{}, nil
+}
+
+type mockClientConn struct {
+	ClosableClientConn
+}
+
+func (m *mockClientConn) Invoke(_ context.Context, _ string, _ any, _ any, _ ...grpc.CallOption) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (m *mockClientConn) Close() error {
+	return nil
+}